The dirty secret hiding in most protein powder? Heavy Metals
Protein powder is supposed to support your health, not undermine it. However, independent testing has shown that many powders are laden with heavy metals like lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury.
Multiple third-party investigations have found that contamination is common across popular brands, especially in certain formats (like plant-based and chocolate powders).
What are heavy metals, and why are they in protein powder?
Heavy metals (like lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury) are naturally occurring elements found in soil and water. They can show up in foods and supplements because plants absorb what’s in the environment, and because ingredients can be exposed during harvesting, processing, and manufacturing.
Protein powder can be especially vulnerable because it’s a concentrated product: large volumes of raw agricultural inputs get processed down into a smaller serving size.
What independent testing has found
1) Clean Label Project: nearly half exceeded at least one safety benchmark
Clean Label Project’s Protein Study 2.0 reports:
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160 products tested across 70 brands and 35,862 data points.
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47% of products exceeded at least one federal or state regulatory benchmark (including CA Prop 65).
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21% of samples were over 2X CA Prop 65 levels (for lead).
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Plant-based powders were frequently higher risk (the report also calls out elevated contamination patterns by type/flavor, especially chocolate).
Their key takeaway is simple: this category has real variability. Some products test clean, and many do not.
2) Consumer Reports: many products exceeded CR’s lead “level of concern.”
A Consumer Reports investigation reported that more than two-thirds of tested protein powders/drinks exceeded CR’s lead threshold, which is based on 0.5 micrograms/day (aligned with California’s strict Prop 65 reproductive toxicity safe harbor for lead).
What is California Prop 65 (and why do we care)?
Proposition 65 (the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986) requires businesses to provide warnings if exposures to listed chemicals exceed “safe harbor” levels set by California’s OEHHA.
Prop 65 does not “ban” products. It’s an exposure-based warning standard. But because its thresholds are strict, many consumers use it as a “high bar” indicator for contaminant control.
Why do some protein powders tend to test higher?
Based on the Clean Label Project report, contamination patterns can vary by:
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Protein source (plant-based vs whey/collagen)
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Flavor (the report highlights chocolate as higher-risk in its dataset)
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Agricultural and environmental exposure (soil/water where ingredients are grown)
This is exactly why “it’s organic” or “it’s plant-based” does not automatically mean “it’s low in heavy metals.”
How Veracity formulated Metabolic Power Protein for ultra-low heavy metals
We didn’t just want to launch another protein powder. We wanted to create a formula that supports everyday metabolic health and meets a higher standard for purity.
That meant:
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Choosing ingredient partners with strong contaminant controls and consistent COAs
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Prioritizing low-heavy-metal raw materials during R&D (not after the fact)
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Testing the finished product and holding it to strict internal targets aligned with Prop 65
In other words, we formulated for low heavy metals from day one. Because testing shouldn’t be a marketing checkbox. It should be part of the product design.
Metabolic Power Protein vs Prop 65: Our Results
You Deserve Transparency
The data is clear: heavy metal contamination in protein powders is not rare, and consumers often have no way to assess it from the label alone.
Veracity created Metabolic Power Protein because we believe “clean” should be measurable. We wanted to raise the bar in modern wellness: protein that powers your metabolism, without compromising your health.
Shop Metabolic Power Protein
Ready to power your day with clean fuel?
Metabolic Power Protein delivers 20g of plant-based protein with 0g added sugar and no unnecessary calories, in a smooth vanilla cinnamon flavor that tastes great in just water. Every batch is formulated to be ultra-low heavy metals and rigorously third-party tested to meet California Prop 65 standards.
We also enhanced our formula with clinically studied MyoVera™, helping your body use protein more efficiently to build lean, active muscle. And because muscle is a highly metabolically active tissue, building more of it supports a faster, stronger metabolism, burning calories even at rest.
Metabolic Power Protein is clean, plant-based, daily metabolic fuel that helps you burn smarter.